Moulika Sharma

Height: 5’3
Hometown: Brampton, ON
Languages: English, Hindi, Punjabi
Occupation: Project Coordinator and Health & Safety Captain

Moulika Sharma was born in India, raised in both India and Canada, and is now a proud Canadian Citizen living in Brampton. She graduated from University of Guelph, in Bachelor of Engineering Honours program major in Environmental Engineering. Currently, she is working as a Project Coordinator and Health & Safety Captain for GHD Ltd. She is a member of GHD’s Canadian Environmental Due Diligence Group and provide Infrastructure Ontario project support and technical expertise through environmental knowledge and processes. She also provide support of due diligence including Phase I and Phase II Site Assessments, fieldwork investigations (air, soil, water sampling), Class Environmental Assessments for various sectors (public and private), municipal work projects, active/abandoned industrial and commercial facilities. As GHD’s Safety Captain, she assists and supports GHD’s Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) group at the local level.

From volunteering as a tutor to motivational speaker and researcher, Moulika is able to achieve any goal regardless its scale. Besides having an academic career, she has a sporty personality and enjoys weight training with a combination of intense cardio and yoga. She is an adventurous soul and enjoys trying new things out of her comfort zone. She did the CN Tower edge walk which is the world’s highest full circle hands free walk on a 5ft wide ledge encircling the top of CN Tower’s main pod (1168ft above the ground). She believes “to be beautiful means to be yourself” and hopes to inspire the youth, raise awareness, and contribute to humanity.

What are your interests and what do you enjoy doing the most?

• Researching on intellectual topics and gaining insight to spread awareness is definitely something I enjoy.
• I like to experiment and trying making new recipes out of the combination of Indian and Western spices.
• I like exercising using a combination of intense cardio, Bollywood dancing, weight training, and yoga.
• Singing. It produce happy hormones in my body.
• I really enjoy long drives with my favorite music. Fortunately, I get opportunities to travel for work inspections.

List any special training you have had (music, art, drama, dance, etc.)

• Theatre activities (mime, drama) in elementary school.
• Basketball training in middle school
• I was extremely scared of deep water. Recently, I started taking swimming lessons to overcome my fear and I am getting good at it.

I also went for wild water rafting which was truly an adventurous experience.

In what sports, if any, have you participated?

Basketball, cricket, badminton, yoga, strong by Zumba fitness class, and swimming. I also did the CN Tower edge walk which is the world’s highest full circle hands free walk on a 5ft wide ledge encircling the top of CN Tower’s main pod (1168ft above the ground).

Name one person, other than your parents, who has had the most influence on your life. Why?

Other than my parents, the person who has really inspired and influenced me in a positive way is Malala Yousafazi. She is a Pakistani activist and youngest person to receive Nobel Prize in 2014. She is true example of women can learn and lead. Challenging the Taliban by calling for education reform at the age 12 is remarkable. She was shot by extremists, and left for dead at fourteen. However, she survived the attack and continues her activism with even more passion. Her maturity at such a young age and her efforts to fight for education rights when the odds were stacked against her is deeply inspiring to me.

What is your proudest personal accomplishment (other than participating in this pageant)?

My proudest personal accomplishment was successfully completing my Bachelors of Engineering Honours degree, major in Environmental Engineering in 2017. I immigrated to Canada at the age of 17, and successfully adapted to a different education system. More importantly, my entire journey during my financially independent student life taught me to how to prioritize my time, and stay focused on my goals. I am extremely proud of my accomplishment as today I am working as a Project Coordinator, and Health & Safety Captain for GHD Ltd., committed to sustainable development and improving environment.

What is the most interesting or unique thing that has ever happened to you and/or what is the most interesting thing about you?

Moving to Canada at the age of 17 and being able to work out my life values was one of the most interesting journey for me. I experienced diversity and it helped me grow and shape into who I am today, a well-balanced, humble, and confident woman with a beautiful heart.

What is your career ambition and what are you doing or plan to do to accomplish that goal?

Currently, I work as a Project Coordinator and Health & Safety Captain for GHD Ltd in Toronto. My career ambition was always to have a job which is meaningful to me and where I act as a key personal of the organization. I am a member of GHD’s Canadian Environmental Due Diligence Group and provide Infrastructure Ontario project support and technical expertise through environmental knowledge and processes. I also provide support of due diligence including Phase I and Phase II Site Assessments, fieldwork investigations (air, soil, water sampling), Class Environmental Assessments for various sectors (public and private), municipal work projects, active/abandoned industrial and commercial facilities. As a GHD’s Safety Captain, I assist and support GHD’s Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) group at the local level.

Besides my engineering career, I am very passionate about uplifting others. To accomplish this goal, I volunteer as a teacher every week and interact with people of several age groups and different culture & background for LINC (Language instruction for Newcomers to Canada) classes so that they gain necessary language skills to integrate into Canadian culture. Additionally, I utilize social media as a great tool to spread awareness with the research and gained knowledge I have. Recently, I completed research study on natural treatments for autism and it is on YouTube. I feel we all very career driven and push ourselves to be the best version of ourselves but what we forget that it is also important to rest. Mental health should be a priority and we shouldn’t work ourselves to the point of mental breakdown.

What would be your “dream job” in life?

My dream job is to provide real services to humanity which cannot be purchased with money or measured with any materialistic item, and I am already on my way to pave my path towards it.

Describe where you were raised and what your childhood was like.

I was born and raised in Punjab, India to a family of progressive educationists. As a child growing up in a developing country, I was in a process of discovering myself who I am and what I wanted to be. My day would start with practicing yoga with my mother and then going to school to study. I was involved in several extra circular activities (athletics, singing, badminton, painting, and dancing). Mathematics has always been my favourite subject and I remember studying out of my syllabus and challenging my teacher that I can solve any problem.

My entire life changed when I immigrated to Canada at the age of 17. It was a tough decision for my parents to start new life in Canada in their 50s at the time of recession especially when my parents were well-established government employees in India. Moving to Canada was a culture shock for me. However, the diversity in Canadian culture really helped me to adjust in the environment, and then I started my journey of transformation of an independent hardworking teenager to a successful confident woman.

List any interesting or unusual jobs you may have had.

While I was in the University pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree, I worked one summer as a computer technology instructor where I provided programming lessons to the children of age group 9 to 15 and programmed robots using scratch language. The interesting part of the job was to deal with the different aptitude levels of the children. One student had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and it became an added challenge to teach the mixed-ability class. This helped me learn perseverance and I helped each student finish their robot-programming project using different techniques.

During my high school days, I used to work as a part-time waitress at a restaurant in Mississauga. It wasn’t my desirable job but looking back, I realize this experience taught me teamwork, and communication skills which definitely helped me excel in my career.

List any volunteering you have done.

• Volunteer tutor – Mathematics, English, and Science Classes at Malton Neighborhood Services
• Volunteer – Canada Day fun activities
• Engineering Representative at University of Guelph – represented University of Guelph at the Ontario University Fair and communicated with 1000s of prospective students about Engineering at Guelph.
• Website Coordinator (Women in Science and Engineering Club) at University of Guelph – Utilized leadership and teamwork skills to help the coordination and implementation of all community outreach, professional development, and practical skills events.
• Member of North America Young Professional Committee – GHD Ltd.
• Internal Auditor – GHD Ltd.
• Volunteer Teacher – Malton Neighborhood Services – to interact with people of several age groups and different culture & background for Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) so that they gain necessary language skills to integrate into Canadian culture.
• Walk with Heart Walkathon: SHN – Centenary Hospital, Scarborough, ON
• Hockey Night in Brampton Event – supporting the life saving Cardiology Program at Brampton Civic Hospital, through William Osler Health System Foundation.
• Fair Deal for Brampton Campaign launched by the City of Brampton – From overcrowding to hallway medicine, Brampton Health Care is chronically underfunded. As a responsible resident of Flower City, Brampton, I decided to take a stand and spread awareness among the Brampton residents and visitors to submit the petitions sheets for more healthcare funding and facilities for Brampton.
• 20 minute makeover – at a local park in Downtown Toronto to support clean environment on Earth Day.
• Motivational Speaker and Researcher – Latest research on natural treatments for Autism, how to improve mental health & well-being and using social media as an awareness tool to focus on educating and empowering minors.
• SOS Children’s Villages – Helping raise funds and spread awareness to improve the lives of vulnerable children in Esteli, Nircaragua.

What is your most unusual talent?

I stay awake longer than most people on the planet.

Where is the most interesting place you have been to?

I went on vacation in 2015 to Kerala, which is located on the southwestern, Malabar cost of India. It was a very interesting place to visit. I noticed that people eat food on banana leaf, which seemed very interesting to me and I asked my tourist guide “why” to which he responded, “it’s biodegradable and is very healthy way to eat food”.

I also witnessed the sangam of three seas – Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Sea. It’s place where 3 seas meet and where sunrise and sunset views are just breathtaking.

What do you hope to be doing in ten years?

• Provide sustainable solutions to reduce air pollution in developing countries.
• Provide renewable energy solutions worldwide.
• Research more on Ayurveda, herbal remedies, and provide natural solutions to the primary health problems prevalent in the world.
• Helping teenagers overcome their inner battles and motivate them to become better version of themselves.
• Spread more positivity and awareness using social media tools.
• Own a restaurant, which serves a combination of tasty Indian and Western dishes.
• Happily married woman with two kids (one biological and one adopted).
• Learn how to play guitar.

Is there anything you would like to add that we haven’t asked?

I would like to thank Miss Universe Canada Team for providing me this opportunity to showcase my potential and personality. I believe I can use my voice to influence the youth, raise awareness, and contribute to humanity. I want to show the world, that I am confidently beautiful with heart.